Suit-case.



W 0 M L L I V H.. A T.

SUIT CASE.

APPLIoATIoN FILED DB0. 30,1904.

UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN A. H. viLLMow, or MILWAUKEE, wisooNsIN.v

sLnT-oAsE. A

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 29, 1907.

Application led December 30, 1904. Serial No. 2438.932.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN A. H. VILLMow, residing in Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukeeand State of Wisconsin, have invented new and useful Improvements in Suit- Cases, of which the following is a description,

. general by providing them with the characteristic features of the suit-case electcdjor illustration and description of the invention herein.

Another object of this invention is to produce a suit-case or the like of such a construction that the body portion thereof will constitute an upright support for clothin and also a lateral base extension into whic said clothing may projectwith a tray pivotally mounted on the body ortion and adapted to complete the regu ar contour'of the suit-case when closed on the body portion.

Another object ,of this invention is to proyVide such a suit-case or the like with a novel means for-supporting clothing in the body portion of the device.

/ Another object of this invention isto protional elevation thereof on `the line 2 l2 of Fig.

1,' with the hanger-brackets swung. within' vide a frame for such a suit-case orthe like of such a construction that it affords the necessary support for the bodypor'tion and the pivotally-mounted tray. Y

With the above and other objects in view the inventionconsists in the device, its parts and combinations of parts and their equivalents, as herein set forth. Referring to the accompanying drawings, in which like characters of reference indicate l the same parts-1n the several vlews, Figure 1 1s a transverse sectional-vlew of a suit-caseconstructed in accordance with this invention,

the tray being shown in' its opened position and one of the hanger-brackets being in its extended position; and Fig. 2 isa front secfthe body'l portion and a clotheshanger suspended on one of them. v l 5 In the drawings, `3 represents the upright,

' section of the body portionof the suit-case,

`which has a laterally-extending base portion 4 at its lower end, the two constituting an L-shaped body with the-mouth edges thereof formed'around a body-portion frame 5, preferably'of strap metal, which likewise has.

L-shaped sidemembers with a horizontal top member and a round rod 6 connecting the forwardly-extending ends of its L-shaped side members. The body portion of the suitcase has its corners formed over frame-wires 7, as usual, to produce a rigid structure..

A tray-frame' 8, preferably of strap metal,

corresponding in shape -tothe body-portion,

frame 5, is pivotallymounted at the outer ends of its shorter arms to the rod 6 on the outside of the connections therewith of the frame 5, and said frame 8 is slightly largerthan the frame 5, sothat when closed it ts on the outside of said frame 5, the corresponding parts of. the'two frames overlapping each other and forming a tight-fitting connection between them. The tray-frame 8 has formed upon it a tray 9, which when closed-against the body portion completes the regular ,formation v thereof, so as to give the closed device the appearance of. an ordinary suit-case, the tray occupying thespace produced by the L- shaped formation of thebody portion. The tray is. also formed on frame-wires 7. at its corners for rigidity. l

The back wall 10 of the tray is set forwardly sufficiently to permit of the side walls overlapping the side Walls of the body portion when the device is closed, and a swinging cover 11 is pivoted thereto and is adapted to close the tray andl prevent the contents thereof falling into the body portion when the suit-case is closed. The leather or other covering forming the bottom of tray .9 is continuous with the leather forming the front of the base portion 4, so thatwhen the suit-case ,is closed 4there is no. break in the covering material at thel hinge connection between the tray and fthe-body portion. The rear and top edges of the tray overlap the top and-the sideedges of the base and upright sections of the body portion, respectivel to close the mouth of the suit-case, the rame 5fof the body portion being slightly offset from the walls thereof in the usual.-

clearly seen in Fig. 2, to form a liiush jeu'l'gbetween l the tray and body portion whenlalose'd.

Each end wall of the upright portion 3 has secured at its upper end a' bracket-frame 12,

.whichA are pivoteda series of hangerbradkets 13, having hooks 14 formed on their ends, and notches 15 formed at intermediate portions, in which suitable clothes-hangers 16 may be engaged. f

Clothes suspended on the clothes-hangers may hang naturally within the uprightsection 3 of the body portion, and if they are long enough to reach the bottom of the body portion they may be extended forwardly into the base-section 4 and lie naturally without folding, so that their proper shape may be preserved. The clothes suspended within the body portion in this manner are unaffected by the closing of the tray, and the contents of the tray are kept separate therefrom, and therefore are not liable' to muss or injure the clothes during travel.

When the suit-case is open, the hangerbrackets 13 are capable of being swung in their frames 12 out from the body portion so as to extend forwardly, as shown in Fig. 1, in which position the clothing supported thereby is readily accessible. The L-shaped formation of the body portion allows of its remaining upright notwithstanding this extended positionof Vthe weight supported by the bracket-arms. The tray inits open position serves as a brace for the suit-case to revent its tilting forward when the brac etarms are extended with the clothes on them, and this is especially true when the tray is loaded, as would naturally be the case at such times. The bracket-arms y13 are so shaped that clothing may be hung thereon direct by folding over them; and in such use the upwardly-extending ends of hooks `14. prevent the clothing sliding off during transportation.

While the construction of the suit-case as above described is suitable for carrying clothing of any sort and affording protection therefor, it is particularly "designed for the purpose of carrying ladies shirt-waists, allowing of their being supported several deep on either side of the suit-case or in the middle thereof, according to whether the hangers- It is obvious that the objects of the invention may be accomplished byr constructions differing from that herein shown and described without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and therefore various changes and alterations in arrangement and details of construction may be resorted to without departing' from the terms of the claims. y

Furthermore, it is apparent that the principles involved in this invention apply equally well to trunks and other receptacles for clothing andthe like, and therefore it is to be understood that though for convenience'a suit-case is shown and described the invention as claimed is to be considered as including such other devices.

What I claim as my invention is 1. A receptacle for clothing and the like, comprising a body portion havingan openfront upright section and a laterally-extending open-top base-section communicating lwith each other, means in the upright section for supporting clothes and the like so that they extend through the upright section andinto the base-section without folding, and a tray pivotally mounted on the base-section and adapted to swing closed against the upright section.

2. A receptacle for clothing and the like, comprising a body portion having an openfront upright section and a laterally-extending open-top base-section in communication with each other., a tray pivotally mounted on the base-section and adapted t close the body portion by swinging against the upright section, and a pivoted hanger-bracket in the upright section adapted to support clothing in the upright section so that it may extendinto the base-section without folding, said hanger-bracket being adapted to swing to the front of the body portion with the, clothing thereon, the open tray serving as aV brace to prevent the body portion being tilted. Y v

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presenceof two Witnesses.

JOHN A. H. viLLMoW.

Witnesses:

R. S. C. CALDWELL, C. T. BENDIoT. 

